Waiting
by Laneta C
Summary: *Chapter 7 up*
1. Calm Before The Storm

Waiting  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own ABC, DISNEY, In A Heartbeat, etc. etc. I am not doing this for money just for fun. If you sue me you might get like $3 so it's not really worth it.  
  
Hey, people. This is my first IAH fic and only my third fic ever. Please reply good or bad. Sorry I'm writing this in semi-script form but I don't feel like messing with the quotation marks and such.  
  
BTW, I am a Texan so I'm sorry if I use the word "ya'll" every once in a while.  
  
Chapter 1  
EMS station.  
  
Hank, Val, and Tyler walked into the station talking and laughing. As they were putting on their uniforms Alex walked into the room.  
  
Alex: Guys, I hate to do this to ya' but Jamie's not going to come in today. He called and said he's not feeling well so he can't make it.  
  
Tyler (joking): Sure, he's not feeling well. More like he's feeling lazy.  
  
Alex (looking a little frustrated): That boy better be sick. If he is lying to me again he is in big trouble.  
  
Hank: Jamie is telling the truth. He hasn't been feeling well for a couple of days. He looked like crap today. He told me that after he got out of detention he was going to talk to Catie then go home and sleep for days.  
  
Val (concerned): I hope he's not coming down with something.  
  
Hank: I think he's just getting the flu. The symptoms point to it.  
  
Brooke walked into the room struggling under a huge stack of papers.  
  
Brooke: Hey, guess what ya'll get to do.  
  
Tyler: Let me guess, paperwork?  
  
Brooke: Bingo, and for your prize you get to start on these.  
  
Brooke handed him a large stack of papers. Tyler groaned.  
  
Tyler (under his breath): Lucky Jamie  
  
Hank was laughing at the expression on Tyler's face when Brooke walked over to him and dropped an even bigger stack in his arms.  
  
Brooke: Here's your part, Hank.  
  
Needless to say, Hank laughter stopped abruptly.  
  
....................................................................................................................................................  
  
Tyler (rubbing his hands): This kind of torture has to be illegal somewhere.  
  
The EMT's had being working on paperwork for the last hour and there was hardly a dent in their stacks. So when the alarm sounded they were extremely happy to leave the work behind.  
  
As he pulled out of the station Tyler asked Hank the stats on the call.  
  
Hank (looking at the report): 16-year-old male, passed out, reasons not know. Location...Kingsport High  
  
Tyler: OK let's go  
  
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
A pretty brunette ran towards the EMT's as they traversed the football field.  
  
Val (puzzled): Catie, what are you doing here?  
  
Tears flowed down Catie's cheeks. She was obviously hysterical.  
  
Catie: Oh, God, Val. It's Jamie. Hurry, you have to help him.  



	2. Help!

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Chapter 2  
Finding Out  
  
The EMTs ran under the bleachers and found Jamie lying there unconscious. Hank and Tyler began attending to him as Catie stood over his body and sobbed uncontrollably. Val attempted to calm her down.  
  
"Catie, you have to calm down. I need you to tell me what happened."  
  
Val's attempts were futile. Catie's sobs became deeper and louder. Finally, Val put her hands on Catie's shoulders and shook her hard.  
  
"CATIE!!! Calm down, now!!! I need to know what happened so that we can help Jamie."  
  
Catie quickly sobered and began telling Val what happened as calmly as she could.  
  
"We were just standing here talking. I told him he looked really awful and he said he felt like hell. I asked him what was wrong and he said he thought he was getting the flu. Then he shook his head and kind of stumbled, I think he was having a dizzy spell. Then he just fell to the ground and I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't wake up...he wouldn't wake up."  
  
The look in Catie's eyes was devastating. She was no longer crying but her eyes were dull and empty. The only emotion showing was fear. She was hugging herself as if she thought it would make her feel warmer, happier inside. Val couldn't stand to see her best friend in such shape and turned away to help Tyler and Hank.  
  
Hank was busy delivering stats. He should out Jamie's vitals and then he and Tyler lifted the stretcher and began wheeling it across the football field to the ambulance. They loaded the stretcher into the emergency vehicle and Hank jumped into the driver's seat with Catie at his side. Tyler and Val were in the back riding with Jamie.  
Catie questioned Hank about Jamie's condition.  
  
"Hank, is Jamie going to be OK? What's the matter with him? Is he really sick."  
  
"I don't know, Catie. He looks pretty bad and his fever is really high. He probably has some kind of bacterial or viral disease. Has he complained about anything lately?"  
  
"You mean besides school and homework," Catie attempted to lighten the situation and Hank gave her a soft smile. "He said that he has been getting headaches and dizzy spells in the last week. He also complained of joint pain but he just thought those were from a crash on this motorcycle last weekend. He said he thinks he has had a few fevers and he's been feeling nauseous. What do you think is wrong?"  
  
"I don't know. I have some ideas but nothing concrete."  
  
Suddenly Val let out a cry from the back of the ambulance. There was a loud beeping as Jamie's heart monitor went off. Catie turned around to see what was happening and what she saw astounded her. Jamie's body was jerking and trembling. He was having a seizure. His eyelids were opened and show only white. It was a terrifying sight. Tyler's next words did nothing to sooth her nerves.  
  
"Hank, hurry up. We're losing him."  
  
  
What ya' think? Please reply.  



	3. Surviving

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Thanks for last chapter's replies. I'm sorry I took so long but I went on a trip for Spring Break and I have just been really busy lately.  
  
Chapter 3  
Surviving  
  
Catie watched with horrified eyes as Jamie's body convulsed. She attempted to block out the sound that his heart monitor made but she couldn't. She watched terrified as Tyler and Val prepared the crash cart to revive Jamie.  
  
"Ready, Val?"  
  
"Yeah, Tyler, let's do this."  
  
Tyler rubbed the pads of the crash cart together as Val breathed into Jamie's mouth. Tyler leaned over shocked Jamie. His body tremored but the heart monitor continued to flatline. Tyler repeated the action, again, with no results. He tried over and over. After the fifth time Val glanced at her watch and prepared to announce the time of death. Catie couldn't handle it.  
  
"NO, Val, you have to try one more time, please."  
  
Val looked into Catie pleading eyes and she decided to try one more time to revive Jamie.   
  
"Tyler, let's give it another try."  
  
Tyler quickly readied the crash cart. He wanted this to work just as much as Catie did. Jamie was a good friend of his. He had never actually acknowledged that but he promised that if Jamie lived he would tell him.  
  
Tyler placed the pads on Jamie's chest, everyone said a little prayer, and Jamie was shocked once more. Tyler, Hank, Val, and Catie held their breath and the ambulance was filled with complete silence.   
  
'Beep, Beep, Beep'  
  
Everyone let out a cheer as the heart monitor began to beep and Jamie's chest began to rise and fall with deep breaths.  
  
Catie bowed her head and thanked God that Jamie had come back to her. Just as she finished her prayer the ambulance pulled into the ER parking lot. Hank saw the relieved look in Catie's eyes and hoped that it would stay there.  
  
  
So, what ya' think? Please read and reply.  



	4. Reflection

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Many Thanks for last chapter's replies. Can you believe it? I actually got two chapters out in less than a week. I hope ya' like it and as always please R&R.  
  
Chapter 4  
Reflection  
  
After the EMTs wheeled Jamie into the ER and the doctors took him for some test, Hank called Alex.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Alex, it's Hank."  
  
"Hey Hank. Where are you guys?"  
  
"We're at the hospital."  
  
"Well, you need to get back here soon."  
  
"I don't think we can do that. Look, Alex, out last call... well it's Jamie. He had passed out underneath the bleachers. We had to revive him on the way over here. Everybody would really like to wait here and see how he is."  
  
"OK, I'll just beep you if a call comes in. I might even head down there myself. I hope Jamie's going to be OK."  
  
"Yeah, me too. Bye Alex."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Hank turned off the cell phone then went and set down next to Val. Val was trying her best to comfort Catie who had started to sob uncontrollably. Val herself seemed pretty upset. As she whispered words of comfort in Catie's ear tears fell down her face. She didn't let Catie see them. Val felt she had to be strong for her best friend but she couldn't stop thinking of when Jamie had started seizing. She had been so scared he was going to die. She cared about Jamie. She had never really shown it but the dark rebel had found a special place in her heart. She knew that he wasn't such a bad person and that most of what he did was just a front he let people see but Val had caught glimpses of the real Jamie. The way he looked at Catie, how he had saved that little boy from the fire, and the twinkle in his eye when he made somebody laugh. They were all signs that there was a kind, considerate man underneath the hard exterior. Val just hoped that she would get a chance to see more of those moments.  
  
A few feet away from them Tyler stood staring at the door the doctors had taken Jamie through. Tyler also kept thinking about when Jamie had gone into convulsions. When Val had prepared to state the time of death, Tyler had instantly felt like he hadn't worked hard enough to save Jamie's life. He felt he hadn't worked hard enough to be Jamie's friend. He and Hank had always sort of excluded Jamie. When he thought about it, Tyler realized that the only real friends Jamie had where Catie and Brianne. If Jamie survived this Tyler was going to promise to try to become his friend. He prayed that he would be able to keep his promise.  
  
Hank sat looking at Val trying to comfort Catie. He felt the same as Tyler did. He regretted that he hadn't tried to be Jamie's friend. He also regretted that he had judged Jamie just because he was working on the squad for community service. He would try not to judge Jamie in the future...if there was a future.  
  
Hank was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a woman crying. He looked up and saw a beautiful dark-haired woman standing at the nurse's station and begging for information about Jamie. Three little girls that must be Jamie's sisters surrounded her. Mrs. Waite spotted Catie and ran over to her.  
  
"Catie, thank God you're here. Where is Jamie? Is he okay? What's wrong with him?" She frantically begged Catie for some answers. Catie hugged Mrs. Waite and told her that they didn't know anything yet. Mrs. Waite slumped down in a chair across from Hank and put her head into her hands.  
  
Hank felt a tug on his hand and a small voice spoke. "Hey, mister, is my brother going to be OK?" Hank looked down into the big round green eyes of a seven-year-old and smiled sadly at her. He ruffled her red hair and told her that he didn't know if Jamie would be OK or not. Her huge eyes filled up with tears and she began sniffling.  
  
"Hey, now, don't cry. I'm sure your big brother wouldn't want you to cry. What is your name?"  
  
"Crimson Jade Waite." She stated proudly.  
  
"That is a very pretty name. Now stop crying and help me color this picture." Hank said as he reached for a coloring book. He looked up and saw that Sami was sitting in Val's lap as she read her a book and Tyler was tickling Jasmine. Catie was sitting next to Mrs. Waite holding her hand and talking to her. Everybody looked up as the doctor walked into the room and cleared his throat.  
  
"I have diagnosed James and I have to be honest, it doesn't look good."  
  
  
  
  
So... What ya' think?  



	5. Finding Out

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Thanks for the replies.  
  
Darkchilde: thanks for the names of Jamie's sister. I knew that someone else had used those names in a fic but I didn't know whom. I really like the names and I hope you don't mind that I used them.   
  
Everyone, please read and review.  
  
Chapter 5  
Finding Out  
  
Silence filled the waiting room as everyone waited for the Doctor to continue.   
  
"James has bacterial meningitis. Meningitis is an immflamation of the lining around the brain. I am sorry I have to tell you these things but I think it is better to be honest with you. If the disease is treated early there is a big chance of recovery. Unfortunately, James was diagnosed very late in the illness. The seizures are a very bad sign. They often can cause brain damage. James has slipped into unconsciousness and there is no way of knowing when he will wake up. We have him on antibiotics to treat the disease. We won't know what kind of effects the disease will have until James wakes up."  
  
Hank looked up to see that everyone was stunned into silence. He had some things he wanted to ask the doctor.  
  
"What kind of things could happen to Jamie because of this?"  
  
"Well, the only permanent affects would be deafness or brain damage. Deafness is somewhat rare but there is always a chance. Also, Jamie will experience the common after effects of meningitis, such as short-term memory loss, recurring headaches, aggressive behavior, tiredness, depression, and many other things. All these are common in the recovery of a meningitis patient and usually aren't something one need worry about too much."  
  
Hank nodded his head in understanding. Mrs. Waite, Jade, Jasmine, and Val were crying. Catie seemed stunned into silence. She just sat there with her arms around Mrs. Waite and stared into oblivion. Crimson hadn't even heard the doctor. She was very involved in the coloring book Hank had given her. Hank wasn't crying because he never cried. He just wasn't comfortable crying in front of people. He looked over at Tyler and was slightly surprised to see tears slipping down his best friends' face. When he saw Tyler crying he couldn't stop a lone tear from falling. He jumped when Catie interrupted the silence.  
  
"Can we see him?"  
  
"In most cases of meningitis it would be too contagious to allow visitors but Jamie's illness has reached the stage where it is unlikely that anyone can catch it from him so yes you can visit him, but only one at a time and don't stay in there for too long."  
  
Mrs. Waite was the first to visit her son. After about fifteen minutes she came out and Catie went in.  
  
Catie quietly stepped into Jamie's room and shut the door behind her. She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Jamie looked horrible. His dark hair contrasted starkly with the deathly paleness of his skin. There were tubes coming out of him everywhere, including one in his mouth to help him breath. The worst thing was the soft restraints that held Jamie to the bed. The doctor explained that those where to keep him safe if he had another seizure. Catie couldn't stand to see her handsome, strong friend strapped to a hospital bed. She felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do to help Jamie be better and she wanted so badly to do something. She slumped into the chair beside Jamie's bed, took his hand in hers and sobbed openly.  
  
  
  
  
  
So, Good? Bad? What ya' think? Please review.  



	6. Waking

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Thanks for the replies.  
  
Everyone, please read and review.  
  
Chapter 6  
Waking  
  
Catie sat in the uncomfortable chair that rested next to Jamie's hospital bed. She let out a sigh as she looked into his pale face. Everyday after school for the past three weeks she had walked into the cold, sterile room and talked to Jamie until her mother called her to come home. Everyday she took his hand and begged him to wake up. Everyday his beautiful brown eyes stayed shut and his lips remained motionless. She didn't know how much longer she could stand it. The doctor still didn't know when he would wake up. He said Jamie was getting better and he had taken him off the respirator but Jamie still lie there silently. He had had three more seizures since he was taken to the hospital. The last one had been really bad. Doctor Wineman had almost lost him. Jamie's arms were still in restraints and Catie wanted so badly to rip them off. She didn't want him to wake up and freak because he was bound to the bed. She just wanted him to wake up.  
  
Catie's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening. It was Tyler. All the EMTs had been by to see Jamie. Tyler and Val visited quite frequently. Hank was seen less often. Catie had found out that he hated hospitals and freaked out whenever he was in one. He had put aside his feelings to come see Jamie a few times, though.   
  
Tyler walked over to Catie and put his hand on her shoulder. The two of them had somehow become friends out of this unfortunate incident.   
  
"How is he?" Tyler asked.  
  
"No change."  
  
"When was the last time you ate something?"  
  
"I had a candy bar for breakfast this morning."  
  
"You should go down to the cafeteria and get something."  
  
"I can't I don't want to leave him. I don't eat breakfast because I have to do my homework in the morning since I spent all night here, I don't eat lunch because I'm busy calling the hospital to see if he has woken up, and I don't eat dinner because I'm afraid that he'll wake up while I'm gone."  
  
"You know Jamie wouldn't want you to kill yourself over him."  
  
"I know but I just don't feel right leaving him all alone."  
  
"Catie, listen to me, you have to take care of yourself." Tyler's tone became stern.  
  
"Don't you get it Tyler, I don't care about myself! All I care about is Jamie! If he dies I don't know what I'll do without him! I can't leave him! I just can't..." Catie's voice slowly died down to a whisper.   
  
Tyler wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. She cried for the millionth time in three weeks. She immediately took her head off Tyler's shoulders when she heard a groan. She looked up at Tyler to see why he had groaned but he was staring at the figure on the bed. Catie's mouth dropped open in shock as Jamie's eyelids began to flutter.  
  
  
  
  
  
So, Good? Bad? What ya' think? Please review.  



	7. Giving In

Waiting   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own In a Heartbeat, Disney, ABC, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah  
  
Thanks for the replies. I'm sorry I took so long but I was stumped about how to continue and I was having probs getting on the site. Everyone please read and review.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Catie and Tyler held their breath as Jamie's eyelids continued fluttering. Finally, they were presented with the dark chestnut orbs that were his eyes. He blinked several times at seeing light for the first time in three weeks. He turned his head and stared at Catie and Tyler.  
  
"Where am I?" His voice was harsh and rugged.  
  
"You're in the hospital. The doctor said that you have meningitis. You've been unconscious for three weeks." Tyler informed him.  
  
"Oh." Jamie replied listlessly.  
  
Caite just listened to the interaction between the two of them. She couldn't stop staring into Jamie's eyes. She'd been waiting to see them for almost a month. She was just so happy that she finally got to.  
  
Tyler saw the look in Catie's eyes and excused himself. He gently nudged Catie towards Jamie's bed and walked out of the room.  
  
"Have I really been unconscious for three weeks?"  
  
"Yeah, you have. We have all been really worried about you."  
  
"You look tired. How long have you been here?"  
  
"I come here everyday after school and stay until about seven or eight."  
  
"Wow, you did that just because you were worried about me."  
  
"Jamie, you almost died. None of us knew if you were going to wake up. We didn't even know if you were going to live through the rest of the day." Catie's voice broke as tears fell down her face.  
  
Jamie reached out his hand in offering. His face filled with surprise when Catie threw herself into his arms but he held her as she sobbed against his chest.  
  
"I was so scared...so scared."  
  
"It's okay I'm alright now."  
  
"I just didn't know if you where ever going to wake up. I didn't know if I would ever get to look into your eyes. I love you so much, I can't help but worry."  
  
Jamie pulled away from Catie and looked her in the eye.  
  
"What did you just say?"  
  
"I said that I can't help..." Catie's voice trailed off as she realized exactly what she had said. He eyes widened in surprise and her hand flew to her mouth.  
  
"Did you mean that? Do you love me?" Jamie said, astonished.  
  
Catie blushed and sheepishly replied, "Yes, I do love you."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Look, you don't have to say it back. I totally understand. I don't even know why I said it. You know me, ditzy Catie." She was babbling.  
  
Jamie put his finger to her lip, effectively silencing her.  
  
"I love you too." He said simply and pulled her into a kiss. The kiss was filled with passion, want, and years of hidden longing. Catie pulled away breathless and sighed with pleasure. Jamie smiled at her sigh and suddenly felt tired. That kiss had drained his energy and he yawned loudly.  
  
"You should sleep." Catie said, noting his fatigue.  
  
Jamie just nodded as he stared at her. He continued doing so 'till his eyelids slid shut and his chest began to rise and fall steadily. Catie watched the rhythmic rise and fall and soon fell asleep herself, her dreams without worry for the first time in three weeks.  
  
THE END  
  
So, what ya think? I wasn't going to end it this soon but I feel a bad case of writer's block coming on and don't want to leave you guys hanging. I hope you liked it and please review.  



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